Evie & Adams | LGBTQ+

Kissing boys and mating monkeys

As Evie opened her eyes the next morning, the events of last night started flooding back. Dylan and I broke up, my mother had an episode, Roxy and Kate broke up, Roxy now lives with me. She could hardly believe it, and grinned into her pillow.

Soft morning light flickered into the room, escaping past the gaps in her curtains. Evie checked her phone for the time; just before seven. Sitting up she stretched and clambered out of bed, heading for the bathroom.

After a quick but efficient shower, in which Evie washed her hair and shaved her legs, she hopped out and wrapped her towel around her. Just as she picked up the blow dryer, the door opened, and Roxy sauntered in.

And Evie stared. Is she in slow motion? One hand raked through her tousled faux mohawk, the other arm raised in a stretch, showing off her toned muscles. Her pjs consisted of baggy boxers and a skin-tight crop top. Evie and Roxy made eye contact; the former blushed and the latter smirked.

"Oops, sorry." She drawled casually and turned around, slow-motion walking back to her room. The door clicked shut behind her. I really need to get a lock for that...

Evie finished up as quickly as she could, knocking on Roxy's door to let her know the bathroom was available. Then she went back into her own room, applied makeup, styled her hair and laid out her dreary uniform.

The sound of running water filled the space. To distract herself from the mental image of Roxy in the shower, Evie headed downstairs and into the kitchen. A hand-written note was tapped to the fridge.

Evie, shame I missed you this morning. Here's a little gift I picked up from Hong Kong last week. Love, daddy.

Evie ripped the note off and stuffed it in her pocket. She turned to the counter, and sure enough, there sat a tiny box wrapped in a pink ribbon. Evie opened it, revealing a Swarovski bracelet. It's beautiful. She thought, picking up the delicate silver circle, studded with ice-blue crystals.

Aaaand it doesn't fit, she realised as she tried to jam it onto her wrist. Hong Kong sizes. She popped it back into the box. Evie liked getting gifts from her dad, always jewellery or clothes, made her feel special and thought of. It didn't bother her that he was never home, or that he tried to buy her love.

There are plenty of fathers out there who are never home regardless, and don't buy their daughters anything to make up for it. I'm one of the lucky ones. She reminded herself.

Gloria won't be up before nine, but the house keeper comes in early ever day. So Evie toasted two waffles and two slices of bread and poured two cups of hot coffee. She placed these on a tray along with a bowl of fruit and one of yogurt. As she was about to carry it out the kitchen, their housekeeper Elena bustled in.

"Good morning Miss ElClaire," the gentle, motherly woman said, accent thick.

"Good morning Elena. Please call me Evie." Evie asked, for what felt like the thousandth time since Elena was hired when Evie was just a child. But as always, the woman did not respond. Probably terrified of the witch who lives in this castle.

Evie tried to inch past without showing her tray, and almost made it too when Elena looked over. Kind, yes. But stupid, no.

"I see someone's hungry." Elena observed, eyes speaking volumes. It's not what you think! Evie wanted to blurt out, but the little Spanish woman had already moved into the butchers pantry.

Instead Evie turned around and raced out, as fast as her tray of goodies would allow. Using her foot to open her bedroom door, she entered and placed the tray on her dressing table. A moment later, she felt someone watching her.